Lubricator for steam-engine cylinders



(No ModeL) E E R. T. CRANE.

LUBRIGATOR FOR STEAM ENGINE GYLINDERS.

No. 315,128. Patented Apr. '7, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RroHARD T. oRANE, or oHIoAco, ILLINOIS.

LUBRICATOR FOR STEAM-ENGINE CYLINDERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,128, dated April 7,1885.

Application filed November 24, 1884; (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RIoHARn T. CRANE, residing at Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, and a citizen of the United States, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Lubricators for Steam-EngineCylinders, of which the following is a full description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, iirwhich Figure 1 is averticalsection. Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged details; Fig. 4, amodification.

The leading object of my invention is to construct lubricators forsteam-engine cylinders, so that a uniform quantity of oil will flow whenthe valve is open, and so that the flow can be entirely out off, ifdesired, no provision being required for regulating the flow so that itwill be at one time greater than. another. A further object is toconstruct the valve in such a manner that while a very small opening isused for the passage of oil it can be readily cleaned in case it becomeschoked by any accumulation therein; and these objects I accomplish bythe construction and combination-of devices hereinafter described andclaimed, as illustrated in the drawings.

In the drawings, A represents an oil-chamber. a is a removable cap orcover. I) is an upward projection from the bottom of the oilchamber; 0,a screw-threaded 'endby which the device can be connected with thestean1- chest; d, a passage communicating with the steam-chest andextending up into the projection b, but not through the same. 6 is ahole in the wall of the upward projection I). f is a valve-seat in suchwall. B is the valvestem. The end proper, g, of the stem B fits thevalve-seat f. h is a projection from the end of the valve-stem B, whichprojection is in the form of a smooth cylinder, and is of uniformdiameter from end to end, fitting the hole 6, except that thisprojection h is flattened upon one side, as shown in Fig. 3, thusleaving a small passage, i, for the flow of oil. j is a fixed collar onthe stem B. k is a metal plug, which is secured by a screw-thread intothe wall of the oil-chamber, and is screwthreaded on the inside toreceive a screwthread upon the valve-stem B. V Z is a stuffingbox.

sage d to the steam-chest.

The operation is as follows WVhen the end of the valve-stem B is incontact with the valve-seat f, as shown in Fig. 1, the flow of oil fromthe chamber A to the steam-chest will be entirely cut oil. If the valvebe drawn out a little, so as to open a passage-way between the part 9and the valve'seat f, as shown in Fig. 2, the oil will flow through suchpassage to and through the small opening 73, between the cut-awayportion of h and the wall of the hole 6, and will pass through the pas-The passage 2' is to be originally made of such capacity as to allow ofthe passage of the desired quantity of oil, and the size of this passagehaving been once determined will always remain uniform, except the samebe choked by some accumulation therein, and hence a uniform quantity ofoil will always flow through such passage,

no provision being required for regulating and varying the quantity ofoil which will flow through t, it being the intention always to open thevalve sufficiently to bring the collar j, which serves as a stop, incontact with the inner end of the plug 70. It will be desirable tooccasionally remove the valve for the purpose of cleaning the recessedor flattened portion of the small stem 71, and this can be done as oftenas may be desired or necessary.

The flattened part of the projection It may be as in Fig. 3 or as inFig. 4; but in either event the edges formed by the flattened part will,during the rotation of the projection, act to clean the oil-passage e.The flow of oil can be wholly cut off by the valve, but not regulatedthat is to say, the flow is uniform at all times whenever the valve ismoved from its seat, which is due to the fact that the projection h isof uniform diameter from end to end. The rotation of the part h in thehole e, as the valve is opened and closed, will prevent any accumulationupon the wall of the hole 6, and it will be very easy to occasionallyclean the flattened or cut-away part of h, so that under all ordinaryconditions there will be a uniform flow of oil when the valve is open.To clean the part h the valve can be removed.

Heretofore the passage for the supply of oil in-lubricators has beenmade very much too large, (often two thousand times too large,)

and a valve has been relied on to regulate the quantity of oil flowing;but it is impossible to properly regulate the flow through such largeopening.

By providing a very small hole for the passage of oil: in combinationwith the Valve, which does not regulate, but only cuts off the flow ofoil to the outlet-passage or admits it to such passage, I provideagainst any material waste. It may not be easy to make the smalloil-passage of exactly the proper size, but it can readily be made toapproximate the required size, so that there will be a sufficient flowof oil without great waste.

My improvement, while primarily designed for use in lubricatingsteam-engine cylinders, may also be used for any other purpose to whichit is adapted.

ber to the part to be lubricated, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

RICHARD T. CRANE. Vvitnessesz E. A. WEST, ALBERT H. ADAMS.

